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How does Language reflect culture?

Language is a part of the culture, and the differences between the two cultures are reflected perfectly in their language. Taking a look at common expressions, sayings, and idioms provides us a glimpse into what society deems necessary. 

Slogans, slang, proverbs, and phrases offer the history and heritage of cultural values, and these are unique to a culture. For example, in Pakistani culture, "Laddu Bantna" is an idiom. Besides literal meanings, it means distributing sweetmeat among people to celebrate an event or festival; it is a ritual in Pakistan. A proverb in Pakistani society such as "Door k Dhool Suhanay" states that a distant thing looks good, but when you go near, then you come to know the reality. It is an old saying and guidelines for youth. 

Language change can change the thinking pattern of an individual. According to Edward Sapir and Whorf's linguistic determinism hypothesis, "language determines an individual's thought," and language creates a world perception; thus, it provides a worldview. 

According to the linguistic relativity theory, how we think about the world is directly influenced by the language we use to talk about it. The meanings of words in a language are designed by culture, and these meanings are unique to the culture; for instance, Ferdinand de Saussure gave the concept of signified and signifier. 

The signifier is the sound or image associated with something, such as' tree. ' The signified is the thing's idea or concept, such as "a tree," and the sign is the object that combines the signifier and the signified into a whole meaningful unit. Therefore, we can conclude that language is a part of the culture. We may communicate our cultural values and views by using them. Language thought and behavior is interlinked, and we can say that language is the product of the thought and behavior of a society. 

Now, the world is growing and becoming a multicultural society in which a massive number of different ethnic people are living. They marry each other and face many difficulties in their relationship due to cultural differences.  For example, in intercultural marriages, the issues faced by couples include loss of identity, differences in languages, conflicts over differences in fundamental beliefs, clashes in parenting tactics, struggles with unsupported families, and different interpretations of the same event. 



Ø  PARTICULAR ISSUES FACED BY PEOPLE IN CROSS-CULTURAL MARRIAGES INCLUDE: 

·        Coping with religious differences

·        Loss of identity

·        Daily disagreements over minor things like cooking, hygiene, standards, rituals, etc.

·        Different ideas about the meaning of love, family, and relationships

·        Different methods of dealing with conflict

·        Unsupported families

·        Language barriers (as language determines thought process)

Now, the question arises of how to handle these issues, so counseling for cross-cultural issues can help couples to go out of their restrictive cultural identities to see one another with greater clarity as individuals.

Ø  THERE ARE THE FOLLOWING THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD FOLLOW IN INTERCULTURAL MARRIAGE:

·        Flexibility

·        Open-mindedness

·        Intercultural adaptability

·        Respect for each other’s beliefs

·        Tolerance 

·        Intercultural competencies. 

Interracial couples must understand each other, which necessitates the removal of prejudice, ethnocentrism, and generalizations regarding other cultures.

 

 


Location: Pakistan

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